Calling it quits

Tim has pretty much decided that Evan is done with swimming lessons - at least with him in the pool with him. It was a disaster last week really. My fault maybe... I thought it would be a good change to see how Evan does in the pool with Tim. Plus, I didn't really feel like putting on a bathing suit. So, it was Tim's turn. Not a good decision. First, Emma refused to go in the pool. She never does this. In the past, she would barely turn around to wave goodbye when the instructor came to get her. This time, she hid in my shoulder and wouldn't move. Honestly, I think she is jealous that Evan has a parent in the pool and she doesn't. Last week she made comments to me that she wanted me in the pool and that she wanted me to swim with her. I did the whole, "No, you are a big girl Emma" yadda, yadda, yadda. It worked last week, this time, not so much. So, strike number one.

Then, Evan. He seemed excited. We got the basketball urge out of him too because we were in the gym for like 15 minutes so he could run around and shoot hoops. It started out okay, I mean he walked into the pool on his own. He got some toys and kind of splashed. It is really the group activities that throws him every time. Let him wander around on his own = good. Try to get him to blow bubbles, splash, kick, etc = evil. He basically cried for 15 minutes straight. Then Tim had enough and left. Strike Number Two. I still have hope!! I haven't given up on the little man yet, I will try again.

This weekend was good. Very relaxing which is what they should be. I had to work a little bit Friday morning, so Tim stayed home with the kids at first. Then, we just relaxed. Did some grocery shopping, they took a good nap, I cleaned, lots of fun stuff :-)

Here are some pics:

Evan the stud with his favorite boots. They don't even fit the kid, but they were a Target clearance item for $3. Who could pass that up?? I knew they would fit him eventually. He always picks those when we leave. He picks those when we don't leave and he wants to wear "Shooohs!"



Both the kids going down the "tubey" slide together. Evan has no fear, but of course he has his older sister for guidance. He marches right along with her up the steps and down the slides. Tonight I saw him go head first down the tubey slide. That didn't make me happy.



Playing gas station.



Mr. Blue Eyes.

content

A picture of my 3 favorite people outside.

Yesterday we ate supper quickly and then headed outside. We played chalk, we played on the swingset, Emma and I went for a run, and then the first lawnmower ride of the year. The kids could not be more excited. Me either for that matter - there is nothing better than being outside.

Kids are good. They are pretty exhausted (and cranky) come bedtime due to all the playing outside. They both had pretty big meltdowns tonight, which is never fun. I made Evan a bottle to calm him down, which we had weaned him of last week, and Emma just got sent to bed. An hour later, she is still upstairs reading books and getting up periodically.

Evan's favorite thing lately?? The movie Cars. He will see pictures of Lightning McQueen and will start hopping up and down saying "Cah!! Cah!!" and will be all happy. So because we do not have many boy books in the house yet, I bought him some Cars board books at Target last week. Tonight, he snuggled in his crib with his favorite blanket and his Lightning McQueen and Mater books. I was pretty cute. So, maybe the Easter Bunny will bring him some Cars stuff this year.

Mama, I need to focus on this...

What wonderful weather! Man - it has been fabulous and we have been taking advantage of it. Sunday we were outside a lot - the kids were playing on the swingset, we went for a walk, we got out bikes, it was great.

Backing up - swimming lessons...
They went better this time. Tim got to the YMCA earlier so he was able to take Evan into the gym and get all of the basketball out of his system so we were hoping it would be better in the pool. Overall, it was. Evan acted mildly irritated at the things the instructor wanted us to do, but he wasn't crying or fussing so it was better. He really enjoyed the lesson where we taught them how to climb out of the pool and jump back in. He would scamper as fast as he could out of the pool, turn around to face me and squat as low as he could. Then, he would stick his pudgy little hand up in the air, yell "GO!" and jump into my arms. It was really cute. Then, we got out some of the floaty balls and played with those, which he also enjoyed. He did try to blow some bubbles, but that was it. At about the 20 minute mark though, he was done and it was time to leave. So, much better, but he still didn't make it to the end.

Friday was Mama Mia and it was fabulous! Tim and my father stayed home with the children and my Mom, Aunt, and I headed to downtown. It was a great time away and a much needed break.

The rest of the weekend was good too. Saturday we had a small St. Patrick Day party and Sunday was Sunday school and book club! Emma didn't quite make it to Sunday School. She was up running around with some kids at the party and with the time change she was too tuckered out to go. The lucky thing? I taught that day so I brought home all the projects so we were able to do them later. She loved that! At one point I was talking to her while she was making her sheep puppet and she looks at me with a disapproving stare and says, "Mama, I really need to focus on my Sunday School project right now." okay kid, whatever...

Otherwise, I don't really know too much. We are just basking in the sun while we have it. I had my first run outside this year and it went really well.

Emma-isms:
Tonight we were reading stories on the recliner and she squirms a bit and says "Mama, this isn't really working out for me, we need to move."

Here are some pics of the kids playing outside.

Evan, being the stud, and going for a ride in his car.



Emma playing Princess Fiona. I was the prince and I needed to slay the dragon and rescue her. When I went up into her little playhouse, this is what I found. Her mouth was twitching as she could barely contain her laughter.



In the wagon taking a tour of the yard - finding tracks, stomping in puddles, all the fun spring stuff.

A snip,snip here and a snip, snip there

It always makes me nervous when I get back to my desk at work and I see a missed call from daycare. Numerous things run through my mind when I see this... is one of the kids sick?? Did they do something wrong?? Did, God forbid, Evan get bit again?? Unfortunately, I have had a few calls lately for all of these reasons. This past Monday though, it was for something I wouldn't have thought of. Emma and the other girls were playing beauty parlor and were cutting each others hair.

Theresa said that she was in the process of bringing the little kids upstairs for snack and told the girls (ranging in age from almost 4 to 4 & half) that they could play downstairs while she did that. She didn't think anything of it until all the kids were upstairs eating and she noticed a wisp of hair on Emma's shoulder. Then she looked and saw a wisp of hair on Breezy's shoulder. Thinking this wasn't good, she asked the girls what happened downstairs and 3 little sheepish sets of eyes looked up and said, "I don't know." Theresa went downstairs and surveyed the scene. There was a chair propped up under the shelf on which Theresa placed a scissors they were using for crafts. Not far away was hair... blond... brown.. and dark brown. Not much, thankfully, but enough. Emma now has some bangs on one side of her head and the other girls had a few chunks cut out also. Emma feverishly insists that she did not cut any hair "because Mama, I know only BIG people can cut hair." Which lead to the "just because other kids are doing things, doesn't mean you have too" conversation. Not that I think she got it, but we will see. Thankfully, it doesn't look horrible, I don't even know if others can tell. Fun times with an almost 4 year old!

We all had a great night tonight. Emma had dance/gymnastics and Tim and Evan went grocery shopping. After the craziness, Evan and I had some time to play. Emma just wanted to lay and watch Cars because "All that dancing and jumping just makes me tired." But Evan and I had a great time. It was one of those times I hope I can always remember. We were chasing each other and playing peak-a-boo. He would run about 5 feet away from me and slow up, then wait and giggle. He would let out the biggest giggle and turn slowly to look for me and wait. Then I would make my first move toward him and he would turn around and run, run, run. It was so much fun. So great to have these times to offset the frustrating times. Once I caught up to him, more giggles ensued then he would lean against me or bury his head in my shoulder and just cuddle. I could smell the mixture of baby shampoo, blueberries, and peanut butter on him and then his little sucker-sticky hand would reach for my finger so he could pull me up and we would do it again. Wonderful, really wonderful.

Tomorrow night is swimming again - I hope it goes better :-) Well, it really cannot get any worse. This time, I am bringing a stroller to lock Evan in while I get Emma ready and then Tim is going to try and get there a bit early to help out also. More to come, I am sure.

Swimming Lessons

Oh - what a lesson they were. A lesson in patience more like it.

Emma was a champ - she loves the water. Swimming is old hat to her. She knows the routine, we give the front desk our card, we go to the locker room, she picks out a locker and puts her stuff in it, gets on her suit and she is ready to roll.

Evan, not so much. He has been to the Y with us before and we attempted lessons before, but a scheduling mis-hap occurred and his class was cancelled. But, he LOVES the Y. He loves the gym. He will stand outside the door to the gym pointing, jumping, screeching and yelling "MA BALL"! BALL!!" and will try to get in. Not so good when I need to steer him around the gym to get to the pool. I think the gym is the downfall to Evan's success at swimming lessons. It was a struggle from the start. Just to get Emma ready for lessons was a struggle with Evan's need to go to the gym. He would not stay by me to help Emma get ready. He was constantly running from me, pushing at me when I would try to hold him, whatever he could to get away from me to go and play with the basketballs. argh....

Finally, Emma was in the pool and splashing away and having a grand old time. Evan, finally was in his heaven - the gym. He runs as fast as his little legs can carry, almost falling head over legs because he is pushing that fast. I worry about him with the other people in there shooting hoops, but I always try to position myself in front of him so he doesn't get hit. He runs after the balls, grabs one, and hoists it up and towards the hoop. Then, he runs after another one and does the same thing over and over again. He cannot get enough. Unfortunately, he had to have enough because his time in the pool was fast approaching. He did not want to leave... for anything! It was a big fuss when we left. It was a bigger fuss to change him into his suit. I was torturing him!! Man... it was brutal. He wanted to go in the pool at first, but he did not want ANYTHING to do with group activities. He wanted everything on his own terms. Then, the pouting came... and then the crying.. and then the "Mama! Mama! Ball! Ball!" Finally after 15 minutes of him refusing to do anything that sort of resembled swimming or blowing bubbles or kicking, we left. Much to my embarrassment, my frustration, my "I am never doing this again with this kid" we left. Let's just say Tim and I had a long conversation that night of our game plan for this week.

Wish me luck.

It's a beautiful day for a campfire

"Mom, it's a beautiful day for a campfire!" as spoken by Emma yesterday.

We had a great weekend! We were up at the cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather. Saturday was an early morning as the kiddos decided to be up around 4:30ish for the day. Luckily, we were able to keep them in their rooms until around 5:30 or so and then we watched some movies, ate muffins, and just relaxed... you know, until around 8am :-) Then, Saturday was fishing, snowmobiling, and great food as we had Tim's family over for a dinner party that evening. It was off to bed early, since we all were up so early, but alas, sleep was not part of the plans as the kids were once again up around 5:45a,. UGH! Seriously - SLEEP small children!!

Sunday was more relaxing and being outside. I couldn't believe how nice it was and the kids were so happy to be outside enjoying it. We did some more snowmobling, more fishing, and got out some toys so the kids could play outside. Yup, playing in the sand and snow on the beach - it was lovely! They were running around, making sand/snow castles, and just wearing off some energy. It was great!! Then, we decided to build a fire and roast some hotdogs outside. Seriously, it was a wonderful day. The kids napped on the way home, so Tim and I got a nice, quiet relaxing drive.

Otherwise, all is good. The kids are great. Evan is repeating so many words now. Thank you is "Dan do", "Ca" is Car (his favorite is Lightening McQueen) "Peh" is Please and "MA" is Emma. very cute... he really likes his soft blanket and he insists on carrying it around with him in the morning and at night. He will periodically bury his head in it and rub it against his cheek - very sweet! He just got another haircut, so he once again looks like a little boy. All-in-all, everything is good for the Ev.

Emma is as funny, talkative, and inquisitive as ever. She has been asking some of the most interesting questions lately. Some, involve personal anatomy and are hilarious! "Mom, this Barbie must be a Mommy because she has boobs." Then, of course, there are the odd ball "how the hell do I answer this?" questions. So, here is a conversation had over breakfast....

The scene: I am making scrambled eggs and Emma is peeling some hard boiled eggs.
Emma (very matter of fact): Mom, baby birds come from eggs.
Me, curious as to where this is going: yes, they do.
Emma: So, do we eat baby birds?
Me: No, we eat eggs.
Emma: Mom (because she starts almost every sentence with Mom) but baby birds come from eggs.
Me: yes
Emma: Mom, but where do the baby birds go in the eggs if we don't eat them?
Me: Emma - there was never a baby bird in there, just an egg.
Emma: But Mom - birds come from eggs.

ergh... then I try to change the subject. sometimes, there is no winning with a three year old.

some pics...

Emma, basking in the sunlight!



Evan, getting all dirty, but loving it!



Me and the hubby



The kids making sand/snow castles



Mom & Dad



and more pics...

NOT GOOD!

Look at the pictures!!! Just look...





See the cheek?? See the BITE MARK on his cheek? Yes, bitten at daycare. I wish I could say this was the first time, but NOPE - the third. This, by far, the worst bite. Our daycare provider is trying to work with the parents, but let's just say, they are not the best at that kind of confrontation. So, the by-product? My son gets MAULED at daycare. Ergh... I know, kids bite, but why does my cute, adorable son need to be the bitee. If he were old enough, I would tell him to be the biter and fight back. Unfortunately, he is not. Tim tried to teach him a one-two punch, which got Evan laughing pretty good, but he is too sweet and innocent to use it. It makes me sad. Hopefully, it does not happen again, or I am not sure what we will do.

Suggestions???

Here is Emma -whom I was told was very sweet to Evan today and kept giving him kisses all day. However, I think all of Evan's attention got to her as she was a bit of a bear tonight. She told me "Mama, you spend all of your time with Evan. I am sad, I want you to spend time with me too."



Today, I took the plunge and signed up for Coburn's Delivers - a grocery delivery service. I have been putting off grocery shopping for a few days and after today just didn't feel like going out again. As a new customer, I get free delivery (which the charge is usually only $5) and the prices didn't seem abnormally high. So, we will see. Just one more thing to make life easier I guess.

Here's hoping the week gets better.

Sacrifice

A question was asked of me earlier this week at lunch about sacrifice. I was talking with a mentor of sorts about my career, where I see myself going short-term and long-term, and how I plan on getting there. Anyway, I think I have made it known on the blog, again, about my desire to start my MBA this fall. I told him about my MBA plans, since I am 4 days a week and may have a bit more spare time now, and how I don't have plans to work a full 5 days/week until Evan is in school, at least :-) I also told him of my continuous Mom guilt/internal conflicts and the constant questions of if I am doing the right thing. I don't want to sacrifice my time with the kids now just to work. Sure, maybe I won't climb as high on the corporate ladder as fast or make VP or whatever it is I decide to go for, but I love spending time with my kids and I don't want to trade anything for that.

He kind of threw that back and me and spoke about regrets. Would I regret my decisions now, say 10 years from now, if I am not as far in my career as I thought. Am I looking at sacrifice the right way?? Sure, I am sacrificing time with my kids at working four days a week, but what are the additional costs? Isn't being a successful business woman a great example for the kids? Would they understand the full sacrifice of what I did for them in the long run? He constantly tells me I can do more, should be farther than I am, and has more faith in my work and abilities than I do. Needless to say, it was a very thought provoking conversation. I came away from that with more questions and no more answers, which I hate. I hate making decisions.. especially ones this huge.

I really thought I was doing the right thing and still think I am, but now... just more questions. Just more nagging thoughts in my head. However, after having this meeting on Wednesday, I can honestly say Thursday morning, I knew the decisions I made are the rights ones. I get to work from home on Thursdays, so I get to see the kids before they go to daycare. I get to cuddle with Emma when she comes into our room after she wakes up and I get to pick up the sleepy Ev, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his blanket and pointing to our room. I love seeing the kids in the morning. That is one of the sacrifices I am making by working so damn early... I don't get to see them before I leave for work. Morning calls with Tim at 8 to get the lowdown on when they woke up, how they were, moods, etc, aren't the same as being home to help. Plus, Fridays are just us (and usually the neighbors)! We do fun things on Fridays like weird craft projects, sledding, making fires and roasting hotdogs when it is cold out, field trips, anything. It is an extra day to teach, share, laugh and make memories. I don't want to sacrifice that.

But, it is what it is. I do want to work, I don't thing I want to stay home full time, so this is the best arrangement for both. Maybe I am sacrificing some aspects of my career, but isn't that what being a parent is supposed to be about? Giving your kids everything you can and sacrificing to make it happen? No answers, just thoughts. This Mom stuff isn't easy.

King of the Mountain

I love it that my kiddo's love the outdoors. Granted, I think most kids love the outdoors, but mine REALLY enjoy it. If I tell Evan we are going outside, his eyes get huge and he toddles into the laundry room and attempts to put on his outdoor gear. Emma is a pro at that by now and can get ready all by herself. Much of our time this weekend was spent outside and it was awesome... but... backing up....

This week went great. Work was busy, as usual, but we were rewarded with some time out with my coworkers on Wednesday night. We went to an Irish Pub and had some great snacks & drinks while Tim was here with the kids. Wednesday nights are gymnastic/dance nights, so he had a plate full. Emma can get herself ready and knows the routine by now, but not the Ev. I was told that while Emma was enjoying herself at class, Evan was having fun watching her and wishing he could be in their also playing along... ie. banging on the glass windows, running around, and just being a handful.

Thursday, I took a half day off, and took my two little ones and Miss Kaylee down to the farm for a quick vacation. They were all going to spend two nights visiting with Nana and Papa. The car ride down was interesting as the two little girls were SO excited about their mini vacation. They kept talking about where they would sleep, what they would play, and if they could share a bed at night. Constant chatter, constant laughter, and constant "Girls - keep it down, Evan is sleeping!"

Tim and I enjoyed our few nights here without the kids. We went out for an anniversary of sorts to a favorite restaurant and then went out with my co-workers again on Friday night to celebrate a new opportunity for a friend of ours. Friday, daytime, was lovely for me. I totally cleaned the house and then I enjoyed coffee, shopping, yummy lunch in Stillwater and quality sister bonding time. Much needed for both.

Saturday was the best day. After a slow start on my part, we made it to the farm around 11 and were reunited with the kids. There is nothing better than seeing the kids, after being away for a bit, and have them so excited to see you!! Evan and Emma could barely contain themselves. It was awesome. Both Tim and I were excited also, as it was said many times Thursday and Friday.. "I miss the kids!" Alone time is always nice, but I definitely do miss the kids a lot when they are gone. Saturday was a sledding party for cousin Aubrie and it was so much fun! It was on the same hill that we used to sled on a lot when we were kids, so it was very nice to have my kids enjoy it just like we used too. Emma wasn't scared and went down right away with Kristen, Kaylee, and I piled on a tube. She went down a lot for awhile, until a small mishap (a slight bump at the bottom of the hill) scared her for awhile. Not long after that, she bounced right back and was back at it. The best part about our sledding adventures?? The snowmobiles to bring you back up :-) Those were definitely a kid favorite, as they went for rides in a little sled that rides behind the snowmobile. Evan, especially, is a big fan of the snowmobile. He would usually ride on that with Tim when the other kids were going down the hill. I have many wonderful memories of sledding on that hill when I was little and I am sure my kiddos will have the same.

Today, finally, was a low-key quiet day. Sunday School started us off, then not much of anything. We colored, played play dough, cars, took naps (me too!!) and then went outside again. After a quick walk, I showed Emma how to play King of the Hill on a small snowbank in the front of our house. She definitely wasn't shy trying to keep me from the top and loved it when I would roll down the hill and then pummel her with snowballs. Yes, I was being gentle with the snowballs, but it was really fun to play with her like that. She would run away, hollering, and then would taunt me "You can't reach me, you can't reach me!!" until I would chase her. It was really a lot of fun.

Anyway, this week continues to get busier with the addition of swimming lessons on Thursday - Evan too - which he will really like.

Staying at home and relaxing is over-rated, right??

alone time

I was and will be again blessed with a little alone time. Tim, this past weekend, took the kids to the cabin on Friday night thru Saturday and I stayed home. Well, I didn't really stay home, but I was here sans children. It was very nice! I went out with friends, slept in (until 7:15 - wahoo!), did some shopping and just had time to recuperate. It was much needed and great. It isn't often that I get to be by myself and I tried to take advantage of it. Luckily, it is going on this week also. Wednesday night my coworkers and I are going out, then Thursday I am taking the children to the farm for a few days. So, then Tim and I get some time. Yea! We don't often go on vacation, even though we need too, so it is nice that my parents have graciously agreed to take the kids for 2 nights so we can go out to eat and just relax.

The kids are great; nothing going on with them. Evan is still getting into everything and Emma is talking a mile a minute. Lately, she really enjoys coloring, doing her homework, and bothering her brother. I saw her today throw one of the toys that he was playing with across the room. It doesn't phase him, he gets up, walks over to it, and comes back to play as though it didn't bother him at all. I, however, had a little chat with Emma about appropriate playing behavior. She calmly looks at me and says, "Mama, you are making a scene." Yes, I know, that is not appropriate behavior! Either was what she was playing the other day. She was feeding her baby a bottle and I hear her say, "Come on Baby - drink your bottle! It is just HoneyWeiss" Ummm.. what??? That makes me turn my head and say "Ummm - what was that Emma? What are you feeding your baby?" Emma, nonchalantly says, "Honeyweiss. It is just beer. It tastes YUCKY!" Nice. Where she gets this stuff, I have no idea. Okay, fine, yes, I AM the HoneyWeiss drinker in the house. But, I don't drink it that often. Really, I don't :-)

Evan is the same terror. He has a new nickname: "The Running Man." If we try to pick him up and he doesn't want to be picked up, he starts yelling and kicking his legs back and forth - or - running in the air. He also has a new word "NO!" and this one comes out a lot. It also amazes me how much this kid enjoys fruit. He will pass up candy/cookies for blueberries or strawberries. Tim just bought a pint of blueberries at the grocery store and they were gone in a day. Mostly, from Evan.

Tim and I are the same. I had a bad day at work... well, just a bad instance, so I needed some comfort food. I did a bad thing and went grocery shopping when I was crabby/hungry, so my cart was not a healthy choice ad. Well, I did have more blueberries and strawberries for Evan. But, then came the Cheetos, Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Corn Chips, etc. Our supper tonight consisted of hamburgers, french fries, and chocolate chip malts. Mother of the Year - sign me up. But, it was damn good and much needed.

That's all. I have nothing else.

Having a case of the Mondays - ergh. Tuesdays....

Emma had one of her meltdowns this morning. Lovely, I know. What a way to start the day. She didn't want to get dressed, she didn't want to get ready, she didn't want to brush her teeth... nothing...nada.. zilch. I was working from home today, so I was witness to it. It is mornings like this where I feel guilty for working - shocking I know :-) She got over it, she always does, and finally got ready and left somewhat smiling with Tim and Evan. It was their Valentine's party, so I figured she would be so excited, but not so much. Evan was ready to go - he is never a problem yet.

Then, I kept losing my internet connection today. Not good when a person works from home. Luckily that stopped or the frequency did anyway.

After that, I had a pretty good day. We were all coming off a long weekend at the cabin which was much needed and relaxing. We left Thursday night and came home Monday afternoon. We fished, snowmobiled, watched movies, and hung out. We discovered that the kids love snowmobiling. . . more than we thought before. Evan got so frustrated one day when we quit that he marched over to the snowmobile and attempted to pull-start it on his own. No success on that one but it was pretty cute! Tim hooked up a little sled behind it so we could pull the kids around on the lake and Emma really liked that one.






Emma loves being pulled behind the snowmobile!





They tolerated ice fishing. Evan managed to drop one fishing pole down the hole when he was "ishing" once. (Tim was luckily able to snag it and pull it back up.) Emma can sit for awhile and watch the bobber but she loses interest in that pretty quickly also. Their favorite activity is still torturing the poor minnows by scooping them up from the bucket, dropping them on the ground, you name it. Evan just can't get enough of the fish. He knows where we put the minnows, so in the morning, the first thing he does is is slide down the stairs and head straight for the minnows. "ISH!! ISH!!" all the way down the steps. He runs as fast as his little legs can carry directly to the minnow buckets so he can get there before we can stop him.

Evan torturing the minnows


Emma fishing


Tim's big catch! (along with the fishing pole that was dropped down the hole)


Emma had an interesting question for me while we were at the cabin. She whips up her shirt one night, points to something on her chest and says "Mama, what are these?" I explain what they are and she ponders it for a moment and then asks, "Well, when do I get rings in them?" Completely shocked I stumble a "WHAT?!" and try to hide my smiles and total astonishment. she sighs like I am an incredibly naive Mom ... "When do they get rings??" So, I try to explain that they do not get rings in them, but she is pretty sure they do as she saw that at daycare. Lovely. Not sure what she was watching there, but "they have some 'splaining to do!!"

Someone else that had some explaining to do.. apparently Emma thought that Evan needed something sparkly to wear. Tim wasn't too pleased.


I think I finally have Tim signed up for, or at least in agreeement upon, that we need someway to harness Evan at times during the day. Thursday before we left for the cabin, he took a tumble down the stairs. A long.... tumble.... all the way down. I swear that was the slowest 3 seconds of my life! He was "packing" for the cabin and whenever he needs something downstairs, he throws it down the stairs. On this particular Thursday, he threw his beloved blanket down the stairs - sort of. I saw the accident waiting to happen and tried to grab the blanket before he could but I was too late. He reached for it and started the long fall down the stairs. Luckily he wasn't hurt, just shook up a bit. But, not 5 minutes after that, I was packing the cooler and he was trying to climb up a chair and he fell off of that- Seriously!! That kid is going to give me a heart attack!! I feel as though I cannot turn my back because he is always getting into something. My biggest fear is that something serious is going to happen to him because he is constantly climbing on something.

We have some very busy days coming up with classes for the kids and outings for Tim and I. It will be good and fun, but very busy.

Battle of the Wills

First, I want to say thank you to all the comments about my last post. It is nice to see that I am not the only one that loses her mind at times and forgets the obvious. Yes, Tim did stop in after work (about an hour or so later) to pick up the groceries that I could not pay for. I still feel embarrassed, but it happens. . . I honestly don't think Tim enjoyed being known as the husband to the crazy lady her forgot her money, but it is what it is.

Emma has been a bit of a challenge lately. This past week she has had meltdowns of astronomical proportions every night. NO FUN! It started out slowly on Monday - I asked her to pick up her room as it was a horrible mess. It usually is, but we are getting into a routine every night to clean it up. That is the problem with her changing clothes 8 times a day - too many clothes on the floor! Anyway, she didn't want to pick them up. I tried the cheery "Come on, Emma, it won't take too long" plus many other pep talks, but none of them worked. Finally, I look in after getting Evan ready for bath and she is on the floor and the room is clean! I start to praise her a bit for picking up until I notice the guilty look on her face and the position of her body on the floor. Oh no, she wasn't cleaning up her room, she was shoving all of her clothes under her bed! That little stinker!! How would she think of that at 3.5 years old? I get pissed (but of course, can't show it!) and eventually get her to clean up her room.

Anyway, it has been something every night. Getting ready for bed, curling her hair for dance class, going to bed, reading stories, etc. She has to have one battle a night and I am sick of it. Finally, Tim and I realize that it works better for her to give her options. Maybe being a first-born she has to feel in control of her situation, so it isn't "Emma, let's go upstairs to bed" It is "Emma - it is time for bed, do you want Daddy to carry you up or Mommy?" Now, mind you, I hate playing the little games. It is bed time, dammit, so go to bed :-) But, if that is what it takes for no battles, I guess I can do it.

Emma had her Sunday School preschool concert today at Church. All the 3 and 4 year old classes sang 4 songs and did sign language and then ate cookies and drank punch! My class did pretty well - They all did their signs and sang okay. Emma enjoyed it. She looked pretty proud at the front of the church and enjoyed the attention of the day! I wish I could have taken pictures, but I was up front with my Sunday School class singing and doing the signs with them (but down low, so the parents couldn't see us :-) Tim tried as best he could with a squirmy Evan on his lap. We do have some movies, but pretty blurry pictures.

Evan should be now called dare devil, fate-tempter or something like that. Tim and I have witnessed him jumping off the couch, belly first, to the floor. Not quite sure what the little man is thinking with that one. Luckily, Tim was right there, so he was able to grab him. We are not sure if we trying to jump on Tim and wrestle with him or what, but he seriously crouched down on the couch and leaped off. This, a day after he mysteriously got a big bump on his head after playing in Emma's room. No one knows what happened for that one. He seems to go missing fairly often in our house. One minute he is playing with Emma and the next, he is gone. One time I found him in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet (lid down, thank goodness!) eating from a big bag of snacks and hanging on to some wet toilet paper. Now that I mention it, he has had a thing with toilets lately (precursor to potty training maybe?) as today he was missing (of course) and we found him with his little fishing pole playing in the toilet. And no, I don't think he caught anything. HA!

This little guy is all boy. I know that probably sounds funny, but he is all about cars "CAW!" balls "BAH" and chasing/bothering his sister. The other day he was just getting out of the tub. He shrugs off his towel and is strutting around naked. Seriously strutting... baby tummy out, arms behind his back, just walking around like he is the stud. He struts into the bathroom, where I just got Emma out of the tub, and sticks his tummy out a bit and pees. . . all over the bathroom floor. "EVAN- NO!!" I yell and Emma screws up her face "EWWWW!!! I don't want to step in EVAN PEE!" and Evan just smiles and scurries out.... Just another day....

I am now doing some physical therapy for my wonky hip. I finally went to the doctor (at Tim's urging) and it turns out I have a tighter than normal LT band, or something like that, and it has affected my range of motion and the muscles surrounding my hip. The good news - running isn't bad for it. The bad news, the weirdness of my "hip coming out" will always happen. I have a few exercises to do at home to build up the muscles, but nothing more serious than that. So, maybe I will attempt a longer run than a 10K. Anyone interested?? Or, another triathlon?? Let me know... strength in numbers.

Not much on the agenda for this week. A night out with the ladies! YEA!! and more-snow. Sounds like maybe 9 - 12 inches. That will be fun for the commute.

Not my proudest moment

Picture this...

I am out grocery shopping before picking the kids up from daycare today. It had been a hectic day with work because my computer wasn't working and I was on the phone with the Helpless Desk ( I mean help desk) for an hour and half trying to get it fixed. So, after that it was rush, rush to get everything done. Anyway, I am at Cub, at the checkout, watching my grocery total increase. I feel in my purse to get my wallet out and feel around a bit... a bit more... open a pocket and feel around. I take the purse off of my shoulder to do some serious digging when I realize... I don't have my wallet. Which means, I have no money. I don't carry a checkbook, I didn't have a lost card or cash in my purse. I ... Have..... Nothing. I am sure I am red faced at this point and I look up at the cashier and explain meekly "I don't have my wallet." She looks up at me after scanning my items and I say "I don't have money. I am the biggest moron around." She smiles and says "it happens" while I panic and look through my purse again. Still, nothing. I keep mumbling over and over again, "I am such an idiot. How can I not have money? I am so sorry! I am so so sorry!" She offers to put my groceries at the customer service counter so I, or my husband, can pick them up in a bit. I think I apologize about 50 times and I leave, embarrassed. Seriously... how can I go grocery shopping and not have my money?

Wisconsin Dells

For Christmas this year, instead of presents for the kids and us, my parents decided to take us all on a little vacation. All of us, which means sisters/husbands, nieces/nephews... everyone. They booked 2 condos at the Wilderness Water Park in WI Dells for a weekend of fun. The chaos/craziness began on Friday. We all got there around 4:00 or so and it was immediately a collage of towels/water/swimsuits. Emma was so excited she would have worn her swimming suit the entire way down if we would have let her. I can't say I blame her though. A whole weekend geared towards her and her little cousins & brother. What can be better than that?

The condos were very nice. They had 2 full bathrooms, 2 huge bedrooms, 2 fireplaces, full kitchen with everything you need to cook there. Which we did... a lot. Leave it to the Brunners to have enough food to feed an entire army. But, it was nice. There was no dressing kids up to go out to eat, entertaining them while the restaurant made the food, it was just casual, somewhat lazy, and nice.

Of course, the waterpark was a HUGE hit with everyone. Emma and Evan had a great time on the rides and stuff geared towards little kids. Evan would have climbed up and slid down in this one area the whole day if I would have let him. Emma had a great time also on the littler water slides. She didn't want any part of the family rides or tube rides this time. Mostly, I think, because they were all in the dark. She is not a huge fan of the dark and to ride an entire ride twisting & turning in the dark is not her idea of fun. However, she loved everything else and told us on the way back that she wants to go back again soon. The nice thing about Wilderness is that they have an indoor climbing park for the kids too. Something that allowed all of us to be dry for a little while, which was a nice change. Emma loved chasing after her cousins in the climbing area. Evan was literally in HEAVEN there also, as they had an indoor play area with tons and tons of little spongy balls. For the big kids, the spongy balls were to be used in the air guns and stuff they had. For the little guy, aka Evan, they were to be used for carrying around. I don't think I have ever seen his eyes get that big as he exclaimed "BALL!" then he would point at another one "BALL" and then run forward to play. It was fun to see how excited he got there. Literally hundreds of balls to be played with. He would walk around carrying as many as his little arms could carry and then would see one more that he just had to have. AS he tried to pick that one up, of course, the others would fall. It was this over and over... it was fun.

The adults had fun too, although I have to admit, being at a waterpark is exhausting. Exhaustion not just from trekking up the stairs to the slides, but from the over-stimulated state that one must be in to parent in a place like that. The constant watching and guarding and jumping in too lift a little one up when he falls and the "okay, Emma is over there with Kristen, wait a minute, where is Kaylee going?" exhaustion from making sure everyone is safe and accounted for - constantly. Fun, but tiring. It was nice that Dad, Kristen, and I got out to ride some more of the big rides after the kids were in bed one night.

Otherwise, we are all good. It seems as though we are going through another batch of colds as Emma is pretty congested and Tim now has what we all had about 2 weeks ago. I just want everyone to be healthy and sleeping good for a little while so I can feel rejuvenated. It has been awhile.

This week brings work, daycare, Emma's dance and gymnastics, and this weekend is Emma's Sunday School concert. Emma started dance and gymnastics at a place called The Little Gym in Woodbury. It is a half hour gymnastics class and a half hour dance class. So far, rave reviews from the little one. Her first lesson in gymnastics class? How to fall safely. She loved it. It basically involved lots of running, somersaults and swinging on the rings. Also, she has her small Sunday School Concert on Sunday. They will sing 4 songs and do sign language for the parents and will partake in cookies and lemonade afterwards. She is excited for that also.

Such a busy time, but such is life.

My Little Hippies

Peace, Love, and Tranquility.....
spoken many times by my Uncle Sam.












Don't you just love these shirts? I do. They were Christmas gifts from Nana & Papa.

All is good here, we had a great weekend at the cabin. Now, of course, the Vikings game is on. Tim is downstairs and I am upstairs. I thought distance would be good, especially after the fumbles the Vikings have been having. Craziness. I have to admit, I feel really bad for Favre - he has been taking a pounding today. Anyway...

I did make it to the Titanic exhibit. It was wonderful. Very sobering, very sad, but very good. It was almost eery reading about everything and seeing the pictures of the people, their belongings, but knowing that they don't survive. It was very much worth the money and I am glad I took a half day to go see it.

We were at the cabin this weekend. Tim took Friday off, so we went up Thursday night. We did some fishing, but nothing was biting unfortunately. Then, we just relaxed. It was really nice.

The kids are great. Emma starts dance/gymnastics this week. She is so incredibly excited and I think she will love it. Evan isn't signed up for anything yet, although we are thinking about swimming lessons the next go-round.

We got a letter in the mail that Emma can do kindergarten pre-screening this year. It seems pretty early to me, but they recommend the kids come in about 2 years prior to kindergarten, so I guess we will sign her up. She seems too little for that!! I am not ready for that yet! Although, I have to admit, after seeing how much my niece loves kindergarten, it has made it easier on me. I know Emma will have a great time as well.

We are all starting to feel a little better here. My throat and ears are still a little sore, but it goes away with the proper medication. Evan still has a slight cough, but nothing horrible.

I am thinking about signing up for grad school again. I know, I can't make up my mind, right? Well, I feel stagnate at work at the moment. I like my job, but I am sick of it. I have been there for about 2.5 years and that is about as long as I have lasted in any position so far in my short career. The problem? I am stuck between a rock and a hard place because I know I couldn't get hired for another position at 4 days a week or working from home. As much as I want to look for something new, I don't really want to, because I am not ready for 5 days a week. But, I need a challenge! So, I am thinking I bide my time at my current position, but start grad school. Ideally, I would like to keep my 4 day a week gig until Evan is in school. Anyway, that is how I am feeling today. Ask me tomorrow, it may be different.

Tim is good. He is very excited about our future puppy and has been reading books, finding breeders, and doing everything he needs to in order to be ready. We aren't getting one until May-June, but he will be ready when that time comes. Emma is pretty excited too. She has been saying how the puppy can sleep in her bed or the kennel can be in her room. Probably not, but I am glad she is excited.

Anyway - off to finish laundry, make lunches, shower, etc. 2 more minutes to go in the game. As much as I hate to admit it, I wouldn't mind seeing Brett win. Notice, I said Brett, not the Vikings.

have a wonderful week!

Green blood is yucky

Monday night, after I picked the kids up from daycare, I was listening to the radio. Lori & Julie to be exact, which I love to listen to. These ladies make my day a bit brighter and my commute seem like 15 minutes long... which it definitely is not! (107.1 from 3-6, they are awesome) Anyway, it is a woman's radio show, so they talk gossip, fashion, books, sex, etc. It is funny. Anyway, I digress.. So, I am listening to them after I pick up the kids and so far, it is a good conversation about a book. (sometimes I need to change the channel, as it is not always kid friendly discussion) Emma didn't want to talk about her day at the moment. She calmly told me after I cheerfully tried to engage her in some sort of conversation, "Mama, I don't feel like talking right now" and pop, the thumb goes back in the mouth. (Which, I don't mind. I keep telling her, if you don't want to talk, fine, just let me know.)

Anyway, so I am listening to the radio (gee, I thought this would be a short blog post) and the woman start talking about drinking brain blood. Why, I don't know, It was part of the book. After that comment, I calmly change the radio station (as I didn't want to answer any questions about it) and tune out. About a minute later, Emma says "Mama, those woman were talking about drinking green blood. That would be really yucky, like when my nose bleeds, red blood though, not green, and I can taste it and it is yucky. Mama, why would they drink green blood?" Ah crap.... So, I calmly tell her that those woman were being silly and no one drinks blood. They were just kidding. "Yeah, Mama, they were just being super silly. blood is yucky. I don't like drinking blood." So, I proceed to tell her how people don't drink blood and again say they were pretending. "Yeah mama, people don't drink blood. People drink milk and water. Blood tastes yucky!! Especially green blood!" Unfortunately, this conversation lasted the rest of the way home and I had to keep reiterating how people don't drink blood, they were pretending. This, of course, to Emma's "EWWW!! Gross!"

So, I am taking a half day of vacation tomorrow! I wanted to take a full day, but work is too crazy at the moment and a full day just isn't going to happen right now. But, a half day will be good; it will be therapeutic. I am meeting the sister for lunch and then going to see the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum! yea! I am very excited to see that.

Evan continues to feel better and Emma's cold is basically gone. For some reason, Evan had a horrible night last night. He was crying from almost the time I brought him home from daycare, didn't want to eat or drink and fell asleep at 6:30. Then, he proceeded to wake up about every hour & half until the next morning. It was crazy. He wouldn't fall back to sleep without rocking/snuggling/something. I brought him in with us around 4:30 am, where he promptly fell asleep and then started to snore. Loudly, on my side of the bed where I had no room anyway. So, I let him sleep for awhile and hoped I would be able to fall asleep. No such luck, so I brought him back to his room and wouldn't you know it? My alarm clock went off like 5 minutes after that. Sleep last night was basically a lost cause. I think he is getting more teeth, but I am not totally sure.

So, as said before, a half day of vacation will be fabulous.

Here are some pics of us being home - all weeek - sick. Emma was milking it for all it was worth (just like when her Daddy is sick - ha!) and Evan, was well Evan.

sickness update

Finally - kids are better :-) Happiness in the house. I finally got a full nights sleep last night. That has not happened for 3 weeks! It was a welcome change. Unfortunately, something that is not so happy, is now I have the cold. Go figure. It alwasy happens. Tim NEVER gets sick when the kids do, I always do. The caretaker of the house, the soul of the family, the maid/cook/servant/under-paid coworker always gets sick and never gets to sit and relax. Sad, but true :-) HaHa!

We had a great weekend! Sledding, shopping, book club, work Christmas party (which meant a date with my husband :-), Viking game... ergh.... and kids are healthy!

Pneumonia and ear infection

My poor little kiddos. This was not a good week for them. I noticed they were getting colds on Sunday. Actually, Evan has had an on/off cold for about a month. The hard part is that he has been getting a lot of teeth lately also. They say that along with teeth comes running nose/cold like symptoms, so it was hard to tell with him. Anyway, Monday started off like normal. My alarm went off at 5:20am and my day started. My day however, took a turn for the worst at 8am when I saw my daycare providers number on my caller ID at work. That is never good.
So, Evan had a fever and was looking pretty droopy. After a call with Tim, It was decided that I would go and get Evan, bring him home, then Tim would come home in the afternoon so I could get some work done. It basically went downhill after that. Emma wanted to come home around 1:30 that same day as "I just can't breathe Mama!". Tuesday they were at home with us also as Tim and I juggled schedules again. Wednesday they were home with me. Emma still had a bad cold. Evan had a low-grade fever, bad cough, runny nose, etc. However, I thought they both had turned the corner. Emma, yes. Evan, no.
Today, I took Evan to the doctor and he was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and an ear infection. Seriously! My poor little guy! I feel so bad for the poor little one and I feel like a horrible Mom! I had a doctors appointment for him last week for his month-long cough (and yes, the Nurse line told me to wait about that long) but then I cancelled it because I thought he was doing better. I guess not. Anyway, he is now on medication and will hopefully turn the corner soon. The good thing is that this whole week, Evan was still acting pretty good. His eating habits had changed and he was droopy when the fever hit, but with Tylenol, he was his happy go-lucky self. Emma is already feeling better. No real concerns with her, which is good.
Other than this stressful week, everything is okay. I am playing with my new phone the Palm Pre!! Love it so far! I am really behind on work, but it is what it is, right? Luckily, some much needed girl time on Sunday with Book Club and my work Christmas party on Saturday. So, Tim and I will have a date, which is very nice and needed. This week has made us cranky... at each other :-) Never good.

Here a Nuk, There a Nuk

everywhere a Nuk, Nuk!

Evan is at that age where we are starting to trim away the baby stuff and introduce big boy stuff. We are cutting back on bottles and giving him sippies,giving him bowls & spoons instead of letting him use his hands and what could potentially be the hardest: taking away his Nuk's (pacifiers for those who may not know.)

At his last doctors appointment (which, on a side note, Evan is tiny for his age. A whopping 23# for the 25% percentile, his height is the 25% too. Odd, I know since his parents are very tall), I asked the pediatrician if having the Nuk could delay his speech. The answer: yes, cut out if you can. So, I told Tim and told daycare and that is the plan. We won't cut it out totally, just during the day mostly. Evan is not so much on the band wagon on this one. It seems as though he has taken to storing them around the house so he knows where one is if needed. Most of the time he does well without Nuk's AND he has been talking a lot more. However, at the oddest places and times, Evan will come out sucking on a Nuk and smiling away. If he is mad at something or someone(Emma) he will walk away and come back sucking on a Nuk. I will be cleaning and will find Nuk's at the oddest places: toy box, tool bench, under chairs. The oddest spot: in a lamp shade. Yea... figure that one out?! Not sure how he planned to recover that one, but I am sure at the time of placement he thought, "Ah yeah, this one is golden!"

Speaking of improving speech, I was watching a certain football game today and towards the end, I was staring in disbelief at a play and just happened to yell out "AH - SHIT!" Emma looks at me and yells "MAMA! You are NOT supposed to say Shit. It is a bad word!" Tim is almost dying laughing. At this point, I am still rather upset over the football game, but still manage a smile. I needed it at that point :-) Tim and I are not sure how she knows that is a bad word, but she had to keep me in line.

We had a very busy weekend. Emma saw her first movie! I took her to Alvin & the Chipmunks on Saturday. She did well! Emma really liked the popcorn and sat okay for most of the movie. Towards the end she went from my lap, to the chair, so standing. Overall though, I call it a success. We went to a dog show in St. Paul to start researching our future dog. It turns out we will most likely be getting a puppy in the spring - A Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Tim wants another dog for hunting, which unfortunately doesn't sit too well with Emma. She loves dogs sometimes, but she tells me she is afraid of hunting dogs because of a computer game where the hunting dogs eyes are yellow. They scare her. I think that once we get a puppy, she will forget about that. Anyway, I am not so certain about getting a dog, but I do love puppies. Tim told me that these breeds are good hunters, very good with kids, and very trainable. AND, I can run with it, which would be nice :-)

Here are some random pics that I have been meaning to post.

Tim found this little pedal tractor up in our garage. Needless to say probably, but the kids loved it. Emma thought it was cool to hook it up and pull Evan around. Evan loved it too.



You have to admit, it is pretty cute! And of course, if Emma has to do something, Evan does too:




And Aunt Kristen, I guess:


Although, she doesn't appear to be the best driver. Here she is almost running into Emma. Evan thinks it is pretty funny though :-)



Here is Emma before we went to the Children's Theater.




And out getting our Christmas Tree



And decorating the tree







Off I go to work on my blog book. . . maybe.

The biker gang

This was my kids tonight after we came home from work/daycare:



Santa brought them the Fisher Price Smart Cycle to play & get some exercise on. Plus, their older sister gave Evan a little guy trike for Christmas. I joked at the time that they can start their own bike gang. Tonight - they did. Emma wanted to go for a ride tonight and of course whatever Emma does, Evan has to do. He jumped on his bike and took off also. It was pretty cute. It didn't last for too long, but they enjoyed it while it did.

Chee!! (That is Evan speak for cheese!)


The kids and hubby are great; I am great. I think we are all happy to be back in our normal routine. We love the holidays/the days off/the family time/cabin time/etc, but after awhile, it is nice to get back to the normal routine. I think it is easier on the kids, easier on me, easier on everyone. Sure, kind of sad because the hustle/bustle and excitement are over. However, sometimes hustle and bustle are over-rated. :-) Now, I am in the deep-freeze funk, probably BECAUSE the holidays are over.

New Years was fairly uneventful in the Heuer household. Tim and I celebrated with the kids early, because come on, if Tim and I cannot make it to midnight anymore, either can they. We decorated clock cakes (from the Nick Jr. Max & Ruby cartoon) had pizza for supper, and then watched Mickey Mouse and ate popcorn. Evan is pretty funny now. As soon as I get to the popcorn popper, he goes to our cupboard and grabs an ice cream bucket. He then runs over to me and lifts the ice-cream bucket in the air - just waiting for the popcorn! When kids went to bed, Tim and I made some fondue, drank some wine, ate a little lobster and just spent some much needed time together. It was fabulous. No, we didn't quite make it to midnight, but when you have kids that get up in the middle of the night and are usually awake by 6:30, midnight isn't that desirable.

some pics of the evening. Hats & noisemakers courtesy of daycare.






The rest of the weekend was spent with more family! We celebrated Christmas with my immediate family on New Years Day. The big surprise for the kids was the monkey pajamas AND a trip to Wisconsin Dells for a weekend in January! After that - the cabin. Once again, it was nice to relax there after holiday craziness. We played with new toys and did some ice fishing. Even Emma and Evan enjoyed the ice fishing! We all caught a fish and Evan caught many minnows. He loved sticking his little chubby hand in the minnow bucket and trying to catch them. "ISH! ISH!" (that is Evan speak for fish) He, along with Emma, would also take the ice scoop and catch them that way. I think the minnows were very happy when the little hands decided to leave them alone.

Other than that, it is back to life. A few of my New Years Resolutions:
1)Organize. My house, my mind, everything
2)Patience. With little kids, with husband, with work, with little kids (did I say that already?)
3)Blog book is a must!!
4) 10 mile or half/marathon??? At least a 10K.
5)try to sit back and enjoy the little things. Also,try to record them so I don't forget them. Life goes by so fast and I don't want to get to jumbled with the busy-ness of it all.

Have a great weekend everyone!